Share This Story!

Alberto puts damper on Memorial Day plans along Gulf Coast

People along much of the Gulf Coast spent Sunday preparing for the season's first named storm as Subtropical Storm Alberto swirled toward Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. Much of the southeast was bracing for downpours and wind after days of rain that left the region ripe for flooding.

Alberto puts damper on Memorial Day plans along Gulf Coast

Rain falls on Clearwater Beach by Pier 60 early Sunday morning May 27, 2018, as northbound Subtropical Storm Alberto looms in the gulf to the southwest. as northbound Subtropical Storm Alberto looms in the gulf to the southwest.(Photo11: Jim Damaske, Tampa Bay Times via AP)

People across much of the Southeast were preparing Sunday for the season's first named storm as Subtropical Storm Alberto swirled toward Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.

Much of the region braced for downpours and wind after days of rain that left the region ripe for flash flooding, said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.

"In the Southeast, the Deep South, Gulf Coast states, that is where your Memorial Day is going to be lousy," he told USA TODAY.

Monday's holiday should be pretty good — warm and dry — across the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes and Northeast, Pydynowski said. Texas will be hot and dry, along with the Central Plains. Rain is possible in Wyoming, Montana, along with parts of North Dakota, South Dakota and Colorado.

California and the Pacific Northwest should be dry, he said.

Alberto, with sustained winds of up to 50 mph, was less than 150 miles west of Tampa on Sunday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said.

Alberto should make landfall shortly after 8 a.m. ET Monday, west of Panama City, Fla., Pydynowski said. He said the storm was gaining strength and should hit as a strong tropical storm with sustained winds of 60-65 mph.

Customers at the Piggly Wiggly in Panama City were mostly unfazed, assistant store manager Erika Miller said Sunday.

"We are selling a lot of batteries and a lot of water," Miller told USA TODAY. "But it's Memorial Day and everyone is still cooking. Everyone already has a hurricane kit. Hurricane prep is a way of life here."

Governors in Florida, Mississippi and Alabama each declared a state of emergency as rains and wind pelted the region. Pydynowski said Florida had a mostly dry spring before May got wet.

"The biggest overall threat is the heavy rainfall," he said. "They already have had a lot of rain the last couple of days. And areas in the Panhandle could see 4-8 inches of rain, maybe more between Tallahassee and Mobile" in Alabama.

The city of Tallahassee tweeted a warning Sunday that Alberto will bring much rain and strong winds into Monday. "Crews are ready to respond to electric outages," the city tweeted.

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Biltmore Avenue in Asheville, N.C is completely flooded on May 30, 2018 as a result of heavy rain throughout Western North Carolina. Thousands of people were evacuated in North Carolina amid mudslides and flooding as Alberto, now a tropical depression, continued its sodden march inland. Matt Burkhartt, Asheville Citizen-Times via USA TODAY Network

Local residents position a road closed sign at the entrance to the Lake Tahoma Dam on May 30, 2018, in McDowell County, five miles north of downtown Marion, N.C. Continuous rain over the last several days has raised the water level of the dam and forced evacuations of local residents. Kathy Kmonicek, AP

American flags placed in honor of Memorial Day are reflected in puddles at the Panama City Marina as Subtropical Storm Alberto approaches Panama City, Fla., May 28, 2018. JOSHUA BOUCHER, News Herald via AP

Sea turtle nest monitors with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium return in the rain from north end of Clearwater Beach, Fla., as rain falls on the beach early Sunday morning May 27, 2018. Jim Damaske, Tampa Bay Times via AP

This image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Subtropical Storm Alberto in the Caribbean on May 25, 2018, giving an early kickoff to the Atlantic hurricane season one week ahead of schedule.
Alberto formed about 55 miles south of Cozumel, off of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION /AFP/GETTY IMAGES

A cyclist tries to stay dry along Collins Ave. in Miami Beach, Fla. on May 25, 2018. Rain from Subtropical Storm Alberto is expected to will drench the Memorial Day weekend. Jim Rassol/, JIM RASSOL/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL/AP

Mario Badia and his brother, Robert Badia, fish on the edge of a boat dock at Holiday Park as dark rain clouds loom in the distance in Davie, Fla. on May 25, 2018. Chances of rain, as forecast by the National Weather Service, are at 80 percent and 70 percent throughout the Memorial Day weekend. TAIMY ALVAREZ/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL/AP

Alicia Herrera,10, visiting from Germany doesn't let dark clouds ruin her day at beach in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on May 25, 2018. A flood watch is expected for South Florida on Saturday morning as a result of Subtropical Storm Alberto. CARLINE JEAN/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL/AP

Nicholas Filipich of Biloxi, Miss., shovels sand for sand bags into his grandfather's truck on May 24, 2018. Filipich was helping his grandfather prepare for expected heavy rains over the weekend. THE SUN HERALD/JOHN FITZHUGH/AP

Empty beaches and low-hanging clouds are shown on May 25, 2018, at Fort Lauderdale Beach in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A storm kicking up in the Caribbean Sea is threatening to bring heavy rainfall and flash floods to parts of Mexico, Cuba, Florida and the eastern U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend and possibly beyond. Wilfredo Lee, AP